First in the Volta ao Algarve, first in Paris-Nice, second overall in the Tour de Romandie and now a stage winner in the Critérium du Dauphiné; Tony Martin’s excellent 2011 season continued Wednesday when he raced to his latest victory in the Grenoble time trial of the race.
Even before he achieved the latest result, Martin was convinced that he could step things up a level in the Tour de France. Despite strong showings in other races over the past few years, his history with the Tour has not been a very satisfying one for him. In his debut in 2009 he finished 36th overall, although he wore the white jersey early on; last year, things were more difficult again and he finished back in 137th, a full three and a half hours behind Alberto Contador.
Some of that time loss was due to him fulfilling team duties, riding for others and thus sacrificing his own chances, but it’s certain that if he had been going well, he would have been a protected rider.
Notwithstanding those two results, he’s convinced that he could still contend for a high placing. Netting a top ten place is his goal for this year, and he’s gained confidence with regards to those goals as a result of his performances this spring.
“From year to year I got stronger. I saw this in the spring when I won Algarve and Paris-Nice. I hope I can also go up in the Tour de France and get a good place in GC,” he told VeloNation in a video interview conducted in the buildup towards his summer campaign.
“I think I made the biggest step in the mountains. When the climbs are not too long and too steep, I can go with the big favourites and not lose too much. I am one of the best TT riders and can make up time. I did that in Algarve and Paris-Nice…that is how I won those races.”
One drawback for Martin is that overall, this year’s Tour has less time trial kilometres than usual. His win in today’s test is important, though, as it takes place on precisely the same course as the stage 20 time trial in next months’ race.
Grabbing a win on those roads is of greater significance than a TT win would otherwise be, and he said in a television interview after the stage that his impressions were good.
“It was a pretty hard course, a little bit technical, mostly because the roads were very wet,” he said. “I found a good rhythm, I felt really well and I am really satisfied with my condition.”
“I think step by step it goes better for me. I had four weeks off, I had no races, and I had to come into this race. The first days were really hard for me, but now I can see things are going better and better. So far I feel really good.”
In the VeloNation video interview below, Martin also speaks about a range of subjects. He discusses his likely rivals for the Tour, the reason why he’s disappointed with the parcours of the race, and his likely schedule post July. He also speaks about what is a major target for his career.